Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913- April 22, 1994)
Political Party: Republican
Terms of office: January 20 1969- August 9, 1974
Vice President: Spiro Agnew ('69-'73) Gerald Ford ('73-'74)
While Nixon was the President, many new and constructive things happened, such as the twenty-sixth amendment, treaties with Russia, and agencies to protect the environment. However, he is not remembered for doing great things, but for the corruption he brought to the White House, and his resignation from office. That is why President Nixon earns a B minus for his Presidency, one bad event harshly dropping his grade down.
At the start of Nixon's administration the Post World War II Economic prosperity ended. Nixon then made it a goal of his to improve the country's economic state and get us back to a place where we would prosper. He did a good job at this, by instituting a New Economic Policy that worked fantastically. This was the cause for the economic boom in 1971 and 1972. Most of the domestic policies that he dealt with in his administration had to do with the economy. Nixon was more concerned with foreign affairs and wanted to leave legacy there rather than domestically. As soon as he saw opportunities available to make things better with China and the Soviet Union, he decided that he wanted to make things better there. This was another goal that he did well in achieving. Our relationship with China and the Soviet Union before Nixon came along had not been very good, and was getting worse. President Nixon did an excellent job at improving this, and extended a sort of diplomatic opening towards China, which was a great thing for America. Already just from that, our relations with the Soviet Union improved, and became even better after that, leading to negotiations and signing of agreements on science, trade, and space. And lastly, Nixon fixed the problems we were having with Vietnam. Although it took some time, Nixon finally worked to make some agreements that removed the U.S. troops from Vietnam, which ridded us of the continuous struggle we previously had dealt with.
Truth be told, Nixon did not have a very good relationship with Congress overall. It was not bad during the early years of his Presidency, but obviously turned sour towards the end. It was rather hard to get the Republican ideas through in Congress because there was a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress throughout every session of Congress (91st, 92nd, and 93rd) in Nixon's administration. Although, Nixon and Congress worked well together to make many advances in the environmental policy. They passed such legislation as creating an Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Clean Air act, Noise Control Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act. In some other areas, Nixon was quick to propose more legislation than was never actually passed. They struggled but then eventually passed some legislation on the economy, but this did not last long as the economy was bad again when Nixon was leaving office. Another piece of legislation that they passed was the 26th amendment. On the other hand, Nixon and Congress did not do very well in their attempts to improve the Vietnam situation very quickly. It took them a very long time, but they eventually solved the problem by creating agreements allowing us to remove the troops.
Nixon made a few good decisions but his best would probably have to be the improvements to the foreign relations with China and the Soviet Union. When Nixon first entered office, the U.S. relations with these foreign countries were very bad, and getting even worse. He made it his goal to improve these relations, and he did very well at that. With China he launched what was called a diplomatic opening, drastically improving the relationship between America and China. This was a great decision for more than one reason, as it also helped the way the Soviet Union viewed us. We now had China on our side, and the Soviet Union was scared of the relationship that was had between us and China. Soon, Nixon worked with them to produce a Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty plus an Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
On the other hand, Nixon's worst decision would obviously have to be the Watergate Scandal. The effects of this event were what ultimately lead to Nixon's resignation. The whole thing started when five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters, and those men were eventually linked to Nixon. He and his staff tried to cover things up, but it was soon revealed that he took part in the whole affair. He was very near to impeachment, so on August 9, 1974 Nixon resigned from office, the only President ever to do so. It is obvious as to why this was his worst decision, it ended his entire career as President, and he is now remembered as being a corrupt man in office, and not for the many other positive things he did in office.
The impact that Nixon left of America and future Presidents was huge, mostly because of the Watergate Scandal, his worst and most memorable decision. Not only did it affect those Presidents directly after him, but every one yet to come. He is known in history as the only President who ever resigned. He showed the entire country that everyone can make a big mistake, even the President. It is sad that something like this happened to Nixon, because there are so many other good things he did that he is not even remembered for, because of this. He opened up our relations with China, and ultimately ended the Cold War with Russia, although that did not happen until after his Presidency. He also fixed the economy after it was in a bad position, and made many contributions towards improving the environment, such as creating the Environmental Protection Agency. The twenty sixth amendment was passed in his administration, and that is still in place and functioning today. Nixon left many great things behind after his Presidency, but these are not remembered as much as the decision that left the most impact on America, the Watergate Scandal.
After Nixon resigned from office, the country was obviously not very happy with him at all. However, the country as a whole was doing well, especially in their foreign relations. The economy was up, and we were doing well in our relations with China and the Soviet Union. One would think that Nixon should deserve a good rating for his Presidency, simply basing it off of that. If it had not been for the Watergate Scandal Nixon would have been remembered as a great President, and for all of the improvements he made to the state of the country. Without the Watergate Scandal, Nixon may have earned an A for his presidency, but adding this factor in as well, Nixon earns a B minus for his Presidency.
Works Cited: "91st United States Congress - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/91
"92nd United States Congress - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/92
"93rd United States Congress - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/93
"American President: Richard Milhous Nixon." Miller Center of Public Affairs. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2009. <http://millercenter.org/academi
"Richard M. Nixon | The White House." The White House. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2009. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/richardnixon>.
President Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913- April 22, 1994)Political Party: Republican
Terms of office: January 20 1969- August 9, 1974
Vice President: Spiro Agnew ('69-'73) Gerald Ford ('73-'74)
While Nixon was the President, many new and constructive things happened, such as the twenty-sixth amendment, treaties with Russia, and agencies to protect the environment. However, he is not remembered for doing great things, but for the corruption he brought to the White House, and his resignation from office. That is why President Nixon earns a B minus for his Presidency, one bad event harshly dropping his grade down.
At the start of Nixon's administration the Post World War II Economic prosperity ended. Nixon then made it a goal of his to improve the country's economic state and get us back to a place where we would prosper. He did a good job at this, by instituting a New Economic Policy that worked fantastically. This was the cause for the economic boom in 1971 and 1972. Most of the domestic policies that he dealt with in his administration had to do with the economy. Nixon was more concerned with foreign affairs and wanted to leave legacy there rather than domestically. As soon as he saw opportunities available to make things better with China and the Soviet Union, he decided that he wanted to make things better there. This was another goal that he did well in achieving. Our relationship with China and the Soviet Union before Nixon came along had not been very good, and was getting worse. President Nixon did an excellent job at improving this, and extended a sort of diplomatic opening towards China, which was a great thing for America. Already just from that, our relations with the Soviet Union improved, and became even better after that, leading to negotiations and signing of agreements on science, trade, and space. And lastly, Nixon fixed the problems we were having with Vietnam. Although it took some time, Nixon finally worked to make some agreements that removed the U.S. troops from Vietnam, which ridded us of the continuous struggle we previously had dealt with.
Truth be told, Nixon did not have a very good relationship with Congress overall. It was not bad during the early years of his Presidency, but obviously turned sour towards the end. It was rather hard to get the Republican ideas through in Congress because there was a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress throughout every session of Congress (91st, 92nd, and 93rd) in Nixon's administration. Although, Nixon and Congress worked well together to make many advances in the environmental policy. They passed such legislation as creating an Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Clean Air act, Noise Control Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act. In some other areas, Nixon was quick to propose more legislation than was never actually passed. They struggled but then eventually passed some legislation on the economy, but this did not last long as the economy was bad again when Nixon was leaving office. Another piece of legislation that they passed was the 26th amendment. On the other hand, Nixon and Congress did not do very well in their attempts to improve the Vietnam situation very quickly. It took them a very long time, but they eventually solved the problem by creating agreements allowing us to remove the troops.
Nixon made a few good decisions but his best would probably have to be the improvements to the foreign relations with China and the Soviet Union. When Nixon first entered office, the U.S. relations with these foreign countries were very bad, and getting even worse. He made it his goal to improve these relations, and he did very well at that. With China he launched what was called a diplomatic opening, drastically improving the relationship between America and China. This was a great decision for more than one reason, as it also helped the way the Soviet Union viewed us. We now had China on our side, and the Soviet Union was scared of the relationship that was had between us and China. Soon, Nixon worked with them to produce a Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty plus an Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
On the other hand, Nixon's worst decision would obviously have to be the Watergate Scandal. The effects of this event were what ultimately lead to Nixon's resignation. The whole thing started when five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters, and those men were eventually linked to Nixon. He and his staff tried to cover things up, but it was soon revealed that he took part in the whole affair. He was very near to impeachment, so on August 9, 1974 Nixon resigned from office, the only President ever to do so. It is obvious as to why this was his worst decision, it ended his entire career as President, and he is now remembered as being a corrupt man in office, and not for the many other positive things he did in office.
The impact that Nixon left of America and future Presidents was huge, mostly because of the Watergate Scandal, his worst and most memorable decision. Not only did it affect those Presidents directly after him, but every one yet to come. He is known in history as the only President who ever resigned. He showed the entire country that everyone can make a big mistake, even the President. It is sad that something like this happened to Nixon, because there are so many other good things he did that he is not even remembered for, because of this. He opened up our relations with China, and ultimately ended the Cold War with Russia, although that did not happen until after his Presidency. He also fixed the economy after it was in a bad position, and made many contributions towards improving the environment, such as creating the Environmental Protection Agency. The twenty sixth amendment was passed in his administration, and that is still in place and functioning today. Nixon left many great things behind after his Presidency, but these are not remembered as much as the decision that left the most impact on America, the Watergate Scandal.
After Nixon resigned from office, the country was obviously not very happy with him at all. However, the country as a whole was doing well, especially in their foreign relations. The economy was up, and we were doing well in our relations with China and the Soviet Union. One would think that Nixon should deserve a good rating for his Presidency, simply basing it off of that. If it had not been for the Watergate Scandal Nixon would have been remembered as a great President, and for all of the improvements he made to the state of the country. Without the Watergate Scandal, Nixon may have earned an A for his presidency, but adding this factor in as well, Nixon earns a B minus for his Presidency.
Works Cited:
"91st United States Congress - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/91
"92nd United States Congress - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/92
"93rd United States Congress - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/93
"American President: Richard Milhous Nixon." Miller Center of Public Affairs. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2009. <http://millercenter.org/academi
"Richard M. Nixon | The White House." The White House. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2009. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/richardnixon>.